Wednesday

Jan 29, 2014 at 8:31 PM

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The University of Notre Dame's iconic football stadium will be flanked by three massive buildings under a $400 million project that will also create nearly 4,000 premium seats at the "House that Rockne Built."

The plans for the buildings were presented to the university's board of trustees during their meeting Wednesday in Rome.

The Rev. John Jenkins, the university's president, called it "the most ambitious building project in the 172-year history of Notre Dame," saying more space was needed to accommodate the university's broadening research activity.

"What's exciting about this project is it brings together athletics, faculty and academics, research and a student center, so it's an integrated model," Jenkins said.

The new buildings will add about 750,000 square feet and will house a student center, the anthropology and psychology departments, and a digital media center and music and sacred music departments. The side facing Touchdown Jesus won't be changed.

The buildings on the east and west sides of the stadium will rise nine stories and include premium seating, increasing the capacity of Notre Dame Stadium from 80,795 to more than 84,000, although widening seats on the benches could cut down the number of seats. The press box will also move from the west to the east side.

The south building will be six stories high and include a hospitality area. The student center will include a recreation center and allow the university to turn the existing Rolfs Sports Recreation Center into the practice home for the men's and women's basketball teams.

Jenkins said the university will seek donations to fund the project. He said construction would begin next year at the earliest and would take nearly three years.

Jenkins said adding the research buildings to the stadium will avoid campus sprawl, and he and athletic director Jack Swarbrick said it sends a message about the importance of academics and athletics.

"It's such a powerful symbol given what's going on in college athletics right now, that you can take the stadium and say we believe in the integration of athletics into academics, and here's the living proof," Swarbrick said.

Man dies in Baylor football stadium construction accident

WACO, Texas - A Baylor University stadium construction worker was killed and a co-worker was treated for hypothermia after an accident that plunged both into the Brazos River.

Waco police said the two men were working on a pedestrian bridge over the river on Tuesday. They were pulled into the water when some construction equipment they were harnessed to fell from a floating dock.

Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton says one man unfastened his safety harness and made it to the surface. He was treated and released from a hospital. Divers found the body of the other man, 55-year-old Jose Dario Suarez from Manor, Texas, on Tuesday night.

The new 45,000-seat, $260 million McLane Stadium is being built on a 93-acre site near the river.

Ole Miss' Hill charged with sexual battery

OXFORD, Miss. - Mississippi freshman defensive back Bobby Hill has been indefinitely suspended after being arrested and charged with sexual battery.

The 19-year-old Hill was arrested by Oxford police on Tuesday, according to jail documents.

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said in a statement released through the school that he is "aware of the situation" and that Hill has been "indefinitely suspended from all football activities while the process moves forward. We take this very seriously and will make decisions once the course of action is complete."

The 6-foot, 170-pound Hill played in 10 games last season, mostly on special teams, and made one tackle.

The NCAA cleared Walker on Wednesday, saying he will be eligible to play next Tuesday when the third-ranked Gators host Missouri. Walker will have sat out 12 games, or 40 percent of the season, after the NCAA determined he "received preferential treatment from five people, including two agents." The NCAA says Walker has to donate the $270 received from the agents to a charity of his choice and serve 80 hours of community service.

According to Florida and the NCAA, Walker accepted free cellphones and service, airfare, lodging, meals and apparel while he was a prospect. People close to Walker also received free airfare and lodging for nine different trips.

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